37 official horse deaths reported so far this year at BLM's Palomino Valley facility

Protect Mustang's Anne Novak asked the Bureau of Land Management for the number of deaths at its Palomino Valley facility so far this year. Here's the response from the BLM's Heather Jasinski:

Anne,

… To answer your question: How many horses have died at the facility since Jan 1, 2013? According to the Wild Horse and Burro Program System, the number of horses that have died at PVC from Jan. 1, 2013 through April 1, 2013, is 37. This number does not include stillbirths (aborted fetuses, animals born dead and newborn animals found dead) and young foals that died before they were freeze marked. Foals are freeze marked when they are weaned. This varies with the size and condition of the foals and the mares, but usually occurs sometime between three and six months of age.

Additionally, the National Wild Horse and Burro Program is currently reviewing its reporting procedures for modification. …

The mention of "reviewing of procedures" for counting deaths relates to a big discrepancy in BLM death reports at Palomino Valley that was recently uncovered. You can read about that here.

As a minor post-script: There was a mixup earlier this month wherein a number of emails this month were sent to wild horse advocates, media outlets and BLM staff accusing the BLM of not responding to the above request.

It turns out that a response had been sent but just got lost in the recipient's inbox, something most of us can relate to.

UPDATE I: This post was rewritten minutes after the initial post to emphasize the news about the number of deaths reported and to play down the minor mistake over earlier emails sent to the media and animal advocates.

UPDATE II: The excerpt of Heather's email was shortened to take out non-news background information.

This Fact Checker blog post omits a lot of Facts including the Fact that the BLM told us on April 12th that we had to file a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request in order to get the simple answer to a simple question, "How many horses have died at the facility since Jan 1, 2013?".

Only on April 18th at 3:58 pm after a public uproar via email did the BLM Public Affairs Officer respond on behalf of the facility manager.

Any accusations from wild horse advocates, the public or Protect Mustangs were factual because the BLM was withholding information from April 12 through April 18th.

"The Fact Checker" has edited out the first paragraph of the BLM official's email in which she states:

"Anne,

Sorry for the delay in responding to your question. As Acting Facility Manager at the Palomino Valley Center (PVC), Jeb sought advice on your question as to what constituted a FOIA request and was originally told that it met those qualifications. Upon further evaluation, we realized it does not and apologize for the miscommunication. Jeb is off for the next couple of days, and we wanted to get back to you as soon as possible, so I am writing to you on his behalf.

To answer your question: How many horses have died at the facility since Jan 1, 2013? . . ."

Even though we gave the correct facts to Fact Checker and his editor they published a skewed version. What kind of journalism is this?

Below is an excerpt from http://protectmustangs.org/?p=4220 published on April 30th. Click on the link to read the BLM's Public Affairs Officer's complete email and ask yourself why this column, published by the Reno Gazette Journal (Gannett) should be called "Fact Cooker":

Concern mounts over hidden death count

We learned today that the BLM’s public affairs officer (think public relations expert) eventually responded, on April 18th, to our inquiries from April 12, 2013, wherein we requested to know the number of dead wild horses at the Nevada short-term facility since January 1st.

The Acting Facility Manager refused to give us a simple death count. He told us we must file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to know the number of dead wild horses at the facility from January 1, 2013 to April 12, 2013 . This appeared to be a blatant lack of government transparency.

We saw the public affairs’ officer’s email for the first time this afternoon. It was unopened and was lost amongst emails. We don’t understand why the BLM did not respond back to our last email to let us know they had eventually answered our question. Emails can go unseen unlike certified letters.

We are very concerned the BLM facilities are not keeping an accurate death count related to roundups and holding facilities. The BLM admits they are not including the unbranded foals, aborted fetuses, animals born dead nor dead newborns in their count. One must ask, “How many are really dying in holding facilities after roundups? . . .

Its obvious the BLM program for wild horses is not working. These wild animals are crammed into holding facilities not equipped for so many animals. The helicopter round ups are cruel and tortuous. Herds are being ripped apart and wild horses are being traumatized. Where in all this are these animals being helped? They need to be returned to the wild to live and die as nature intended. I for one am sick and tired of our tax dollars paying for a failed government program that's failing to live up to its job. To protect the wild horses, not greedy cattle ranchers.

The BLM website clearly states that all information that is considered public will be made available without an FOIA request yet this has become Debbie Collins favored line of defense. I'm still waiting on information about a new census and minutes of the meeting where how the new census will be done, who all was there etc. Debbie kept saying I'd have to file an FOIA and it would cost me money. I responded by cutting a pasting from their page where it states I do not have to do any such thing. She's just lazy or is hiding something and I think we all know the answer to that question.

No excuses where is all our tax dollars going to protect our wild horses doesn’t this apply here why aren’t you using the money to take better care of them? The Wild Horse and Burro Program is a sham. We demand transparency how many more have died on your program? You might have well have left them on the public lands, they surely would have done far better out there than be under BLM’s care. Care did I say?

How many are never given the chance to live and die on their own terms and on their own ranges because 'protection' for these animals always takes the form of a roundup? Old ones are almost always the first to die - 'humanely euthanized for age-related infirmities' or the inability to adapt to a life of captivity. Better to let the Old Ones finish out their lives in their own homes. Capturing these animals traumatizes them enormously; some never recover. They die from diseases and disorders in holding facilities they would never face on the range. Palomino Valley provides the absolute minimum of care - they are dealing with wild animals - and many of these deaths are unattended and uninvestigated. What's a few dead horses when you have over a thousand in a federal feed lot? Starving or dying of thirst are repugnant ways to die but in a 'natural' environment, without human intervention, this is a way of life for evey wild animal. Watching them waste away for the rest of their lives in captivity is no better.

I never have understood this whole concept of " wild horse" round up.. they spend so much money on this tactic... which is inhumane...simple answer would be " geld " some of the stallions to control the population.. sticks in stones of this matter is over grazing land for cattle ... shame on BLM and the way they run this program...

There is no reason that so many healthy horses would all of a sudden die. They should be out in the wild where they live there lives as was intended and would die as intended. It puts a terrible amount of stress on healthy horses to be rounded up never mind the old and young are greater risk. There are things in the holding facilities that they would never come in contact with and then they get sick. Do they investigate or watch over sick animals? They are tortured and die from lack of food and water and that is not how this country should be treating one of it's natrural treaures! You should be very ashamed to let this continue.

At which facility do the torture them and deny them food and water? Granted I have not been to all the holding facilities, but I have been to a few, and live only 15 miles from one facility. As a matter of fact, I am going up there after lunch to take photos of some. I will tag you in a few photos so you can see the conditions in which they live, and the conditions of the horses themselves. And yes, they have what they call "sick pens" for sick or injured animals.

There is no good reason for the roundups, holding pens, three strikes, sale to kill buyers. These are federally protected wild horses and burros. Close down the BLM program and return our protected wild horses and burros to their range. Stop using tax money for this travesty. End the land leases to welfare ranchers.

Well they cant leave them on public land, then how would they line their pockets with money from cattlemen ruining the land with their cows, we should leave them free, what kind of a country is this, I am ashamed of the greed. Sometimes it takes bigger, braver people to stand up for what is right, not cowards that only care about money

The BLM wild horse and burro program is a scam and a sham. A little investigative reporting, rather than parroting the BLM public relations stuff, will disclose a mountain of abuse of federally protected wild horses and burros, misuse of taxpayer funds and abuse of the public trust.

All of these wild horses were stolen from their legal domain on our Public Lands. Blm is in violation of it's mandate to protect & preserve these icons. The law states they are to be free from "capture, branding, harassment, and death" all of which the blm does to them.

How many would have died if they were left to starve or die of thirst on the range? How many were old or infirm, brought in for their protection but died anyway? They are the easiest to corral. How many old ones survived because they were brought in?

Would it be accurate to say that wild horses are dying in captivity daily? By not sharing information BLM continues to hide itself and the mess it has created and this will continue with no end and cause the public and advocacy grief and frustration in their attempts to make changes that will curtail all the deadly activities our wild ones are presently subject to. Take back our wild horses and burros and keep BLM out of the future while creating lasting protections. The world should know our wild ones; students and children and wild horse lovers from everywhere should feel welcome to visit and watch and learn on the lands these animals were given by the American people.

37 horses died in 90 days. That's not daily. And how many 1000'sl are in the holding pens? What would the mortality rate be if they had been left on the range? The adopted BLM mustang in our back yard is so happy to have a warm barn and plenty of feed and fresh water, medical care if needed and plenty of loving care and petting, plus frequent rides up the nearby creek. He neighs for us to come visit him every time we open the back door, even if he's not hungry.

Sure he's bonded with you because he's been domesticated : ) Wild horses belong in the wild because they are native and wild and should live out their lives in the wild. That said, thank you for adopting your mustang who probably would have ended up in the slaughter pipeline as so many do after the roundups. Sadly shortly after the roundup they break up the family units and segregate wild horses by gender. This is part of the domestication process . . . next comes castration . . . We really are witnessing the feds zero out the American wild horse. Let's hope they become enlightened quickly and put all the mustangs in holding back on our public land. And that's a good question regarding the mortality rate on the range. BLM wants us all to believe the overpopulation farce to justify more and more roundups.

It is obvious that the BLM is working for the cattle industry. They are taking our wild horse's to give the land to cattle ranchers. Then they remove wild horses and keep them in disgusting holding areas. They put their food on top of manure, which spreads worms, intestinal disease and even rabies. Then they sell them to slaughter. Its clear as a bell to the public.

That's a lie. Have you visited the facilities? They are fed in nice bins, I observed when I adopted mine. They are kept free of intestinal worms. Little likelihood of contracting rabies than on the open range where they could be bitten by rabid coyotes etc.

Removal of the Wild Horse and Burro Program from the maw of BLM and made autonomous with only Science and horse professionals guiding toward never done wild horse and burro field research may be the only way to have our wild ones safe and protected into the future.

Who is going to fund and do the research that BLM and other govt agencies do now with it's highly educated professionals: veterinarians, wildlife biologists, rangeland managers, plant scientists, hydrologists? I put 3 through university, I know what they do and how committed most are.

Congress is funding it now so it could be more effective given to another agency who does not have such a blatant conflict of interest. Research is important but it must be based in good science not bad science. BLM has been dodging the fact that livestock is causing a lot of range damage.

Why ist it so difficult to tell the truth ? To be responsable ? To be honest ?

Truthmeter and contact info

Fact Checker columns by Mark Robison are rated on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being absolutely true with no gray area, 5 being down the middle with good points by both sides, 1 being false with no gray area and 0 being intentionally, maliciously or foolishly false.

Email factchecker@rgj.com if you've got any queries about claims you've heard people make.